To commemorate this 400th anniversary year for the Congregation of the Mission, Fr. Ray Van Dorpe, C.M., offers insite into the Vincentian Vows and Virtues in this regular series: What Makes a Vincentian?

When St. Vincent spoke about the virtue of zeal, he usually referred to it as “zeal for the salvation of souls.” In the 21st century, this understanding is usually viewed as being too narrow. Today we expand would expand our understanding of this virtue to include zeal for the salvation and wellbeing of the entire person – soul, mind, and body.

Zeal is the virtue of the missionary. It has at its core the burning love of God that specifically motivated Jesus to carry out his mission of spreading the Good News. Zeal is the love of God made visible and put into practice. Vincent summed up this understanding of zeal in one of his more famous quotes: “If the love of God is the fire, zeal is its flame. If love is the sun, then zeal its ray.”

He also knew well the two dangers associated with this very important missionary virtue. After an initial burst of zeal at the start of one’s missionary life, there are two extremes to avoid. The first Vincent described as “laxity,” a lessening of the initial fervor that is often experienced over the passage of time, which can lead to an apathy or lack of attention to the needs of the poor. Zeal dies when ministry becomes routine and the missionary feels like he is in a rut. The other extreme is over-zealousness that can lead to burnout and disillusionment with the overall mission. This can be corrected by becoming aware of one’s limitations and the realization that not everything is up to us, not everything is our responsibility.

Vincent wrote to his confrere François du Coudray pleading for zeal. “Who will excuse us before God for the loss of such a great number of people, who could be saved by the slight assistance we could give them? … Beg God, Monsieur, to grant us the grace of redoubling our zeal for the salvation of these poor souls.” (CCD, Sept 4, 1631.)

Today, the Vincentian priest or brother practices the virtue of zeal and keeps it alive in many ways. We ask ourselves if our love of God and neighbor is more than a pious idea but rather love that we put into practice. We work with our confreres and support those whose ministries are difficult and who may struggle to be enthusiastic about their ministry day in and day out. And we are not shy about speaking about the Vincentian mission with a zeal that is evident to others.

Zeal reveals the missionary character of the Congregation. Love in practice. It is from sharing in the zeal of Jesus, who came to give his very self, so that the world might be saved.